


The Unexpected Consequences of Amortentia Brewing

by Kariki



Series: Hartmon Week 2016 [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Amortentia matchmaking, Harry Potter AU, Hartley has a pet rat, Hartmonweek2016, Hufflepuff!Hartley, Jerks in Love, M/M, Ravenclaw!Cisco, all the pet rats, potion class
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-25
Updated: 2016-05-25
Packaged: 2018-06-10 14:34:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6960919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kariki/pseuds/Kariki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Written for Hartmonweek2016, Prompt #2: Harry Potter AU)</p><p>That time a Love Potion got two people together in a completely legit and non-creepy way!</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Unexpected Consequences of Amortentia Brewing

Hartley Rathaway was the meanest Hufflepuff Cisco had ever met. Maybe even the meanest Hufflepuff to ever have existed. Even the other Hufflepuffs seemed to give Hartley a wide berth, if they could help it. 

It was unnatural.

And yet Fate - better known as Professor Wells, in this case - had decided that it would be better to have the two most talented students working together instead of risking other students taking advantage and getting an easy grade. 

"You're stirring it too fast."

Cisco bit back a growl as turned to glare at the other boy.

"I am not. It's seven stirs a minute, how fast it's stirred doesn't factor in." 

"That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard a Ravenclaw say," Hartley scowled. "It's better the speed stays consistent."

"As long as that speed is within the time frame given for the potion, the speed itself doesn't matter." Cisco insisted, glancing toward the front of the room to check how much longer the potion needed. 

"A median speed would give better results - "

"Do you want to stir this thing?" Cisco snapped back, nodding down at their cauldron. "Because I'm pretty sure taking the time to switch places _will_ screw it up!"

Hartley's mouth tightened.

" _Fine_ ," Hartley hissed back, "but if we get anything less than an O on this, I'm blaming you."

"Yeah, yeah," Cisco rolled his eyes. "Wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious grades now would we?"

"How we're both top of our year is astounding to me," Hartley pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses up his forehead to do so.

"How you haven't been hexed yet, that's what's astounding," Cisco muttered under his breath, looking down into their simmering potion. He carefully counted the number of stirs left, watching as the potion started to get a sheen to it and the steam started to spiral. 

Pleased, Cisco removed the ladle he had been using to stir and turned to smirk at Hartley.

"A perfectly made cauldron of Amortentia," he announced, gesturing to the cauldron.

"We'll see," Hartley huffed, leaning over to inhale the spiraling steam. His frowned deepened. "I don't smell anything."

"What?!" Cisco pushed him aside and stared down into the potion. It _looked_ perfect but the smell rising up with the steam was... underwhelming. _Maybe_ a hint of bergamot... "No, no way! We followed the instructions perfectly!"

"Cisco, if you screwed this up -"

"Hey, this is a we problem here, Rathaway!" Cisco interrupted him, pointing a finger at the other boy's chest. "We'll _both_ fail if we don't fix this..."

"Is there a problem?" Both students froze and turned wide, alarmed eyes to the Potions Master standing just in front of their table. Professor Harrison Wells smirked down at the two of them, a gleam of amusement in his blue eyes. "By my estimates, your project should be finished by now."

"Uhhh," Cisco looked at his professor then back to Hartley who looked just as trapped at Cisco felt. "I-I think we need a bit more time... sir."

"Oh?" Professor Wells, cocking his head and looking even more amused than before. "And what seems to be the problem?"

"The, uh... the aromatic properties seem to be... absent," Hartley stammered, looking at the potion then up at their professor. "There doesn't seem to be any, uh, any scent coming from it. Well, except for a hint of -"

"Bergamot."

"Gardenia... wait, what?"

"I see," Professor Wells grinned. "What I smell is salt air, coffee, and lavender. I would say your potion is perfectly brewed."

"But..." Cisco blinked, furrowing his brow, "if that's true why can't... oh."

Cisco felt the blood rush to his cheeks as the most obvious answer came to him. He can't smell it because he's used to it... and he's used to it because the person it reminds him of has been standing beside him for the last hour. Old paper, brass, strawberries and bergamot... because Hartley, somehow, convinced the House Elves to give him Earl Grey tea in the mornings.

Oh, he was so screwed.

Cisco risked a glance at the Hufflepuff beside him and saw Hartley had gone pale, his blue eyes wide with what could only be described as horror. 

_So he got it too,_ Cisco thought with a wince.

"I... I need to go..." Hartley stammered and, before either Cisco or Professor Wells could object, he turned and all but ran out of the classroom.

"Uh... huh," Cisco looked back to Professor Wells. The older man's smile was gone, replaced by a concerned frown, watching the doorway Hartley had disappeared through. "Um, sir, can I...?"

"Yeah, I think that would be wise, Mr. Ramon." Professor Wells nodded, looking back at the Ravenclaw. He gave him a small smile. "If nothing else, telling him you got an O for the assignment should provide a modicum of comfort."

Cisco nodded. "Thank you, Professor Wells."

He shoved his book into his bag and, after hesitating a moment, did the same for Hartley's supplies before pulling both bags over his shoulder and leaving the cold dungeon classroom.

It didn't take Cisco long to find Hartley. The Hufflepuff hadn't made it far. He had gotten halfway up the second flight of stairs leading out of the dungeons before giving up on his escape. He was seated now in the middle of the stairs, still looking far too pale. 

Already, a small gray rat had found its way to Hartley's knee.

"What's with you and the rats?" Cisco asked softly, slowly walking up the stairs toward Hartley. He frowned, seeing the other's fingers shaking as he stroked the rat's head. 

Hartley looked up at Cisco before looking back down at the rat that was now walking up his arm to his shoulder.

"They're my pets," Hartley said, his voice small. "Unofficially..."

"Right, um..." Cisco stared for a moment, at a lost. "I, uh, I brought your books." He swung the other's bag off his shoulder and set it down by Hartley's feet like a peace offering. "And Well's said we got an O on the potion..."

"Just get it over with, Cisco," Hartley shook his head, staring up at Cisco, a determined look hardening his face. 

"...Get what over with?"

"I'm not stupid, Cisco," Hartley stood up, careful not to dislodge the rat on his shoulder. "I know I'm an asshole. I know people don't like me and I don't really like them back..."

"Oh, good, you're self aware," Cisco tried to joke, smiling slightly. "Look, Hartley, I know we haven't always gotten along..."

"We hate each other," Hartley deadpanned.

"Yeah, well, the most potent love potion in the world seems to think otherwise." Cisco blurted out, running a hand through his hair, pushing it out of his face. "And... I'd be lying if I said I'd never... thought about it."

Hartley stared at him for a moment.

"Not in a creepy way!" Cisco quickly assured him. "I mean, hell, I'm a bisexual seventeen year old kid in a boarding school! Thoughts happen!"

"So you... don't hate me?" Hartley asked slowly, brows furrowed.

"Well, you can a jerk like _most_ of the time... and sometimes a real dick the other times but... no?" Cisco shrugged. "I mean, I didn't think we were friend are anything but... ya'know." He finished lamely.

Hartley frowned and Cisco could almost see the gears in his head turning as he thought over what was happening. The rat on Hartley's shoulder was curled around the Hufflepuff's neck, its head just peeking around to stare at Cisco.

"Why did you run?" Cisco asked, tearing his eyes away from the rodent. "When you realised you were smelling me in the potion? Or... or was it because I was smelling you? Was it both? I can understand both..."

"It... It wasn't how I wanted you to find out." Hartley said after a few moments. "Actually, if I had a choice, you'd have never found out at all."

"What? Why?"

"Cisco, I'm... not good at this sort of thing." Hartley shook his head. "The kind of people who end up dating me always end being either assholes or trying to use me or both. It's never a... a _love_ thing and if, by some miracle, we got together... it just wouldn't work, Cisco. It wouldn't work because I would want it to be a love thing and I'd end up fucking it up..."

"... We could try a love thing." Cisco said after a moment, a smile tugging at his lips. 

"Didn't you just hear what I said?"

"Yeah, I heard." Cisco rolled his eyes. "And I'm saying I'm willing to take a shot at the love thing. I mean, you can't be that bad..."

Hartley stared at him, dumbfounded, before a small bubble of a laugh broke free.

"That was horrible. 'You can't be that bad'? Really?" Hartley's smile was shaking but it was there.

"Hey, it's not like I had time to prepare a speech, alright!" Cisco laughed, relieved as Hartley's smile brightened. 

"Hogsmeade is next weekend," Hartley blurted out, shrugging one shoulder and almost dislodging his pet, "Do you... want to go? With me?"

Cisco grinned and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, it's a date."

**Author's Note:**

> I might just be projecting too much of Comic!Hartley when I was deciding on where to sort them but I love the idea of Hufflepuff!Hartley. Especially when CW!Hartley would be too social inept to actually make friends like a normal Hufflepuff.
> 
> Also, because I'm a loser, I picked out their wand woods/cores even though I didn't use the information: Hartley's was Beech and Cisco's was Ceder. Both have a Unicorn Hair core.


End file.
